Illinois Department Of Public Health Recognizes Monica Joseph-Griffin, M.D. For Excellence In Pediatric Care

Ron W. Lee, M.D. Pediatric Care Award – Clinical Excellence

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program are honoring Dr. Monica Joseph-Griffin at NorthShore University HealthSystem with a special pediatric Clinical Excellence Award for her contributions to childhood care. The Ron W. Lee, M.D. – Excellence in Pediatric Care Awards are given annually by IDPH and EMSC to recognize those dedicated to pediatric emergency care and childhood injury prevention initiatives. Individuals or organizations can be nominated in one of three award categories - Lifetime Achievement, Clinical Excellence, and Community Service.

“Dr. Joseph-Griffin’s co-workers speak of her collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to improving outcomes for pediatric patients and providing better overall experiences for their families,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “For her leadership in driving clinical excellence, I am happy to present Dr. Joseph-Griffin with the Ron W. Lee, M.D. - Excellence in Pediatric Care Clinical Service Award.”

In addition to her roles as Inpatient Pediatrics Medical Director and Vice Chair of Quality, Pediatrics, and Medical Director of Advance Pediatric Care, Dr. Joseph-Griffin teaches Advance Pediatric Care Simulation Sessions, leads Mock Pediatric Code Blue PALS exercises, and assists with the implementation of the Pediatric Emergency Response Carts (PERC) at all four NorthShore facilities.

“She leads with technical expertise and, equally important, the compassionate, service-oriented manner in which she leads. Never satisfied with the status quo, she relentlessly pursues positive changes for the care of pediatric patients in her unruffled, quiet, and encouraging presence,” said the Pediatric Quality Coordinators of NorthShore University Health System. “In a word, Dr. Joseph-Griffin is extraordinary: she has worked tirelessly on behalf of children and their families, with a quiet grace and compassion that is as much a source of comfort and healing as her clinical prowess. Dr. Joseph-Griffin is the soothing calm in the storm that patients and even staff need when a child’s health is in jeopardy. Always at the forefront of medicine, Dr. Joseph-Griffin leads with a gentle, quiet confidence that is strength.”

The Ron W. Lee, M.D. Excellence in Pediatric Care awards are presented each May. Dr. Lee was the medical director for the Division of Emergency Medical Services and Highway Safety at IDPH, as well as the director of emergency medicine at Loyola University Medical Center and was instrumental in establishing and fostering the EMSC program in Illinois. He passed away in 1998.

The Illinois EMSC program is currently a collaborative effort between IDPH and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. It was established in 1994 to ensure the emergency medical care needs of children are adequately addressed.